Australian patent 482212 proposed a modular screening panel system for ore screening decks which is now widely used by the mining industry and replaced the earlier screening cloths, and large wire screening frames. The screening panels were all of the same size [eg. 300 mm] and made of reinforced polyurethane. The panels are adapted to be secured to an underlying support frame using dependent spigots which are a force fit into corresponding apertures in the support frame. The underlying support frame was designed specifically for the panels and itself was secured to the machine frame fitted as original equipment by the screening machine manufacturer.
A variety of methods have evolved for securing modular panels to the screening machines which use pin expanded spigots or edge flanges and all require complementary support frames which need to be assembled to the machine frame. Typical embodiments of these various systems are disclosed in patents 517319, 556953, 559443, 700843, 711096, 742060 and 755595.The machine frame supplied as original equipment for the screening machines to which the support frames for the screening panels is fitted is usually an inverted L section in which the upper horizontal flange has bolt holes along its length so that the support frames can be secured. Thus in installing a screening deck the support frames must first be assembled and bolted in place before the panels can be fitted.
The machine frame is subjected to erosion and corrosion by the fines and other corrosive liquids passing over the frames during the screening operation. Patent 699604 proposed a deflector plate of polyurethane be secured between the support frame and the machine frame to address this problem.
It is an object of this invention to improve the speed of assembly of screening decks and also increase the wear life of the machine frames.